My Body Is Strong

5 lbs, 10 lbs, the scale keeps going up… As a woman, is this one of the worst feelings in the world. Especially, when all of your life you have been extremely active and kept physical fitness a priority in your life. I look in the mirror and some days I do not recognize myself. My heart breaks. Medically there is a reason, but sometimes even knowing that isn’t enough.

But then, after completing 4 months of this new treatment, I get my blood work back and the one major concern (a particular side effect) we have been keeping our eye on looks wonderful! In that moment, God sends me this amazing thought, “MY BODY IS STRONG!”

What do I mean?

For years we have been trying to figure out this mystery. To do this, there was and still is, such much my body has to go through. You can imagine the testing over the years and now the medication and treatments I am currently working through.

So much medication, my Pharmacist knows my name!

Nuclear Imaging

Computed Tomography (CT)

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Positron Emission Tomography – Computed Tomography (PET/CT)

Ultrasounds

X-Rays

Bottle after bottle of contrast

Blood draws

Swallow studies

Several Surgeries

Intravenous Immunoglobulin Therapy (IVIg)

Even after all this, the sheer amount of radiation and medication that has been pushed through my organs and veins… my body is holding its own!! I am still working, coaching swimming, getting out and seeing family and friends, attending events even on days I just want to stay in bed; I still go!

Through it all, I could not be more blessed that my body is a fighter. That no matter what we throw at it, it continues to surprise me as the test results (side effects that we are monitoring) comes back so favorably.